Louise Burke | Adjunct Professor (SIPA), IEMP Course: Petroleum Markets and Trading

Jonathan Chanis | Adjunct Associate Professor (SIPA), IEMP Course: US Energy Security: The Geopolitics of Oil and Natural Gas

AJ Goulding | Adjunct Assistant Professor (SIPA), IEMP Course: Electricity Markets

Antoine M. Halff | Adjunct Professor (SIPA), IEMP Course: Geopolitics of Energy (with Adam L. Shrier)

Phillip LaRocco | Adjunct Professor (SIPA), IEMP Course: Energy and Economic Development

Ellen Morris, PhD | Director of the International Energy Management and Policy track and the Sustainable Energy Policy Track, Adjunct Professor (SIPA), IEMP Course: Energy, Business and Economic Development  and  Energy and Development Capstone Workshop

Roy Nersesian | Adjunct Associate Professor (SIPA), IEMP Courses: International Energy Systems and Business Structures; Marine Transportation Technology, Economics and Policy; Quantitative Methods in Energy Business and Policy Analysis

Neil Quartaro, Esq. | Adjunct Assistant Professor (SIPA), IEMP Course: Marine Law and Policy

Adam L. Shrier | Adjunct Professor (SIPA), IEMP Course:Geopolitics of Energy (with Antoine Halff)

Klaus Lackner, PhD | Maurice Ewing and J. Lamar Worzel Professor of Geophysics; Executive Director, Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy; Adviser to the Center; IEMP Course: Alternative Energy Resources (with David Walker)

David Walker, PhD | Higgins Professor of Earth& Environmental Sciences, Alternative Energy Technologies; IEMP Course: Alternative Energy Resources (with Klaus Lackner)

Albert Bressand, PhD Professor of Professional Practice in International & Public Affairs, SIPA, Columbia University IEMP Course: Risk and Scenario Analysis across the Energy Value Chain

Albert Bressand is the Aristotle Onassis Professor of Practice in International and Public Affairs at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and Executive Director of Columbia University's Center for Energy, Marine Transportation and Public Policy.  Formerly, Dr. Bressand headed the Global Business Environment department in Royal Dutch Shell's global headquarters in London from 2003–2006. In this capacity, he was responsible notably for designing a new generation of Shell Global Scenarios around an enhanced, original methodology for risk and opportunity assessment. From 2005 to 2009, Dr Bressand was Special Adviser to Andris Piebalgs, the EU Energy Commissioner in Brussels.

Previously, he was managing director and cofounder of Promethée, a nonprofit, Paris-based think tank specializing in the emerging global networked economy and its implications for corporate strategies, capital markets, and international economic relations. Dr Bressand also served as Economic Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France and held key positions with the French Institute for International Relations and the World Bank.

Professor Bressand is a member of the faculty of the World Economic Forum, and has chaired a number of sessions at the Davos Annual Meetings. A member of the Oxford Energy Policy Club at St Antony’s College, he serves on the Board of the New York Energy Forum, on the Steering Committee of the Sovereign Wealth Funds initiative of Chaire du Développement Durable at Université Paris-Dauphine and on the Advisory Council of the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy at Columbia.  Professor Bressand is also on the board of New York Maritime Inc. (NYMAR) which promotes shipping through a NY cluster as well as a founding member of the World Ocean Council which promotes sustainable use of the oceans through industry practices.  He has contributed to several major Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) studies on the world energy scene, notably the CERA 'Dawn of a New Age' scenarios and the 'Securing the Future' study on EU-Russia gas relations. He has published notably in Foreign Affairs, International Affairs, Futuribles, Politique Internationale, Revue d'Economie Financiére, Le Monde etc. The book he edited most recently, The Shell Global Scenarios to 2025, is distributed by the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, D.C. His most recent chapters or articles are “The Future of Producer-Consumer Cooperation: A Policy Perspective” in Global Energy Governance. The new rules of the game, Andreas Goldthau and Jan Martin editors, Brookings Press, January 2010; “European Integration and the Development of a European External Energy Policy in Eurasia”, GPPi Policy Paper Series No.7, Global Public Policy Initiative, Berlin, January 2010; “Foreign Direct Investment in Oil and Gas: Recent Trends and Strategic Drivers”, in Yearbook on Foreign on International Investment Law and Policies, Karl Sauvant editor, Oxford University Press, May 2009.

Dr. Bressand earned advanced degrees in both mathematics and engineering at École Polytechnique in Paris and École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, a Diploma in European Affairs at Université Paris-Sorbonne, and an MPA and a PhD in Political Economy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Back to top

Louise Burke began her career in the energy industry working for major oil corporations, Mobil Oil Canada, Alberta Energy Company and Petroleos De Venezuela. She worked in the planning departments performing analysis of energy markets. In 1987, she became involved in the financial energy futures and options industry when she joined the New York Mercantile Exchange. She served as Vice-President, Marketing and in that capacity supervised major energy and metals futures and options product launches.
In addition to private consulting Ms. Burke serves as the Executive Director for The Energy Forum, Inc.
Ms. Burke has a BA honors in economics from the University of Alberta, and a MBA from New York University.

Dr. Jonathan Chanis has worked in the energy and natural resource sectors, especially in the emerging markets, for over 20 years. As a banker and government advisor, he helped negotiate trade finance facilities and investment projects. As a portfolio manager, he traded equities, commodities, and currencies, especially in the resource rich countries of Australia, Brazil, Canada, Russia, and South Africa. Careful analysis of economic, military, and political conditions (especially the impact of elections and wars on global energy supplies) has been integral to Dr. Chanis’ approach to understanding interstate relations. In addition to a focus on resources and resource countries, Dr. Chanis also has been active (principally in the banking and finance sectors) in a number of non-resource rich countries including China, Japan, and Turkey.

Currently Dr. Chanis is Managing Member of New Tide Asset Management, a company raising funds for a global macro trading venture. Previously, Dr. Chanis was a Managing Director at Tribeca Global Management, and a Portfolio Manager at Caxton Associates. He also was president of several AIG companies including its Russian investment bank, and worked at Goldman Sachs, the Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of the U.S.S.R., and the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Dr. Chanis is a Member of the Board of The Energy Forum (since 1987), and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (since 1988). He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Graduate School, CUNY, and a BA in Economics from Brooklyn College. 

AJ Goulding Adjunct Assistant Professor, SIPA President, London Economics International LLC IEMP Course: Electricity Markets

A.J. Goulding runs London Economics International LLC, a Boston-based global economic and financial consulting firm focused on energy and infrastructure industries. He has been working almost continuously in Ontario since 1998 on a range of electricity market designs and asset valuation-related issues.

Outside of Ontario, Mr. Goulding is currently advising governments and policymakers in Saudi Arabia (see: Saudi policymakers consider alternatives for renewables development at LEI-led workshop) and Hong Kong on electricity tariffs and market design, while in North America he has been working with private equity funds focused on small hydro. A.J. also recently worked on a report entitled Examining the potential cost of the Ontario Green Energy Act, 2009 which examined the ramifications of the proposed Act. Within the U.S., A.J. recently advised on the acquisition of a portfolio of cogeneration plants located across the U.S. A.J. has also worked extensively in Alberta on electricity market design related issues and on generation acquisitions. In addition to his role at London Economics, he serves as a faculty member in the Center for Energy, Marine Transportation and Public Policy (CEMTPP) in Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), where he teaches a course in electricity markets.

Mr. Goulding holds an MA in International Business from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and a BA in Economics from Earlham College.

Antoine M. Halff Adjunct Professor, SIPA Vice President & Head of Energy Research, Fimat USA, LLC IEMP Course: Geopolitics of Energy (with Prof. Shrier)

Antoine Halff is deputy head of research and head of commodities research at brokerage Newedge in New York and adjunct professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University. He has extensive energy industry experience and during 2000-2004 served as Principal Administrator at the International Energy Agency, with primary responsibility for oil demand forecasting and analysis. He has previously held positions at Fimat, a predecessor company of Newedge; Eurasia Group, a New York-based political-risk consultancy whose global energy practice he set up in 2005; Dow Jones and Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, where he served as New York Bureau Chief. He is a member of the Beijing Energy Club, the board of directors of the New York Energy Forum and on the editorial board of Geopolitics of Energy.

Antoine's work mixes data-based quantitative studies and in-depth analysis of the interplay of energy markets and geopolitics.  Some of his recent published articles include "Energy Nationalism, Consumer Style: How the Quest for 'Energy  Independence' Undermines U.S. Ethanol Policy and Energy Security" (Stanford Law and Policy Review, 2008), "The Panda Menace" (The National Interest, June/July 2007) and "Breaching 'The Breaking Point'" (Forward, 26 August 2005).  He speaks frequently at trade, government and academic conferences in Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Antoine was born and educated in Paris, where he earned an advanced studies degree from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales under the late Prof. Francois Furet. In 1985–1987, he served as staff member of the French Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, and in 1988–1989 was a visiting scholar at Columbia University.

Klaus Lackner, PhD Maurice Ewing and J. Lamar Worzel Professor of Geophysics, Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering IEMP Course: Alternative Energy Resources (with David Walker)

Klaus Lackner joined the Columbia University Earth Institute in 2001 as Ewing-Worzel Professor of Geophysics in Columbia's Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering. He joined the Theoretical Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1983, after earning postdoctoral positions at the California Institute of Technology and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. At Los Alamos, in addition to being a scientist in the Laboratory's theoretical division, he has held senior management positions including Acting Associate Laboratory Director for Strategic and Supporting Research. He is a founder of the Zero Emission Coal Alliance, an industry-led effort to develop coal power with zero emissions in the atmosphere. His recent work is on environmentally acceptable technologies for the use of fossil fuels.

Professor Lackner has published numerous papers and articles on clean fossil fuels technology. He received his PhD. in theoretical particle physics, summa cum laude, from the University of Heidelberg, Germany in 1978. He was awarded the Clemm-Haas Prize for outstanding PhD thesis. He earned his vordiplom (bachelor of science) in 1975 and his diplom (master of science) in 1976. In 1985, he studied computational neuroscience at Cold Spring Harbor.

Phillip LaRocco Adjunct Professor, SIPA Executive Director, E+Co IEMP Course: International Energy Business Systems and Structures (with Ellen Morris)

Philip LaRocco is the founder and former Executive Director of E+Co, a not-for-profit, public purpose investment company with offices in Bolivia, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, the Netherlands, South Africa, Thailand and the United States.  E+Co was designated Sustainable Investor of 2008 by the Financial Times.
Mr. LaRocco has over thirty years of international experience. Until 1990, he served as the Director of World Trade and Economic Development for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey with responsibility for the World Trade Center (NY), a network of trade development offices and a portfolio of industrial development and waste-to-energy projects.

In addition to his duties as E+Co's CEO, Mr. LaRocco focuses on financing structures and the creation of practical, hands-on training materials for entrepreneurs, financial professionals, development practitioners and policy makers. More than 700 entrepreneurs in over thirty developing countries have been trained through the efforts of E+Co and its partner organizations.

Mr. LaRocco was formerly Director of World Trade and Economic Development for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, where he oversaw the New York World Trade Center and a network of international offices.  In August 2006, Mr. LaRocco received an Honorary Award for his contribution to the sector from the World Renewable Energy Congress (WREC) during the WREC IX Congress in Florence, Italy.

Ellen Morris, PhD Director of the International Energy Management and Policy track and the Sustainable Energy Policy Track Adjunct Professor, SIPA President, Sustainable Energy Solutions IEMP Courses: Energy, Business and Economic Development  and  Energy and Development Capstone Workshop (with Phillip LaRocco)

Ellen Morris is the Director of the International Energy Management and Policy track and the Sustainable Energy Policy track at the School of International and Public Affairs.  In addition to her faculty appointment, Ellen is the President and Founder of Sustainable Energy Solutions, a consulting company that focuses on international development, policy analysis, and research on energy and finance issues for national governments, development agencies, foundations, and the private sector. 

Most recently, Ellen was Managing Director of Arc Finance, an organization she co-founded, where she led the development and launch of the field programs and operations to promote and expand access to end-user finance for modern energy.  She now serves on the Board of Arc Finance.  Since 1996, Ellen has been a senior consultant for the United Nations Development Programme on sustainable energy, where her work focuses on technical and programmatic support for countries seeking to advance energy as a means for poverty reduction. She has served on UNDP’s External Advisory Group on Environment and Energy since 2007.  Ellen has done pioneering work in energy and microfinance since 2004, and her passion is figuring out how to link the two sectors to meet the needs of the poor.

Ellen started her career in clean energy working for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. In the early part of her career, she worked as a Science Advisor to the U.S. Congress and as an exploration geophysicist for Texaco. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in geophysical engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and a doctoral degree in marine geophysics from the University of Rhode Island. 

Roy Nersesian Adjunct Associate Professor, SIPA Associate Professor, School of Business, Monmouth University IEMP Courses: Marine Transportation Technology, Economics and Policy; Quantitative Methods in Energy Business and Policy Analysis

Roy Nersesian is an adjunct faculty member at the Center for Energy, Marine Transportation and Public Policy (CEMTPP) in Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), where he teaches courses in Marine Transportation and Quantitative Methods with a focus on risk. Professor Nersesian is also an Associate Professor at Monmouth University in the School of Business and is a maritime consultant for Poten & Partners.

Prof. Nersesian's most recent book is Energy for the 21st Century: A Comprehensive Guide to Conventional and Alternative Sources published by M.E. Sharpe. The second edition is expected to be published March 2010. In addition, Prof Nersesian completed a study Biofuels: Fuels of the Future? published by Energy Intelligence Research. Professor Nersesian has spent most of his professional career observing the energy industry as part of his involvement in energy transportation. He holds a B.S. in Physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a MBA from Harvard Business School.

Neil Quartaro, Esq. Adjunct Assistant Professor, SIPA Associate, Watson, Farley and Williams IEMP Course: Marine Transportation Policy

Neil Quartaro is an associate at the law firm Watson, Farley & Williams (New York). In the latter capacity, he assists primarily with commercial litigation, alternative dispute resolution and international law, with a specialty in maritime litigation, arbitration and charter parties.

Prior to Watson, Farley, Mr. Quartaro represented blue and brown water vessel owners in cargo disputes, collisions, and salvage matters. Mr. Quartaro serves on the Admiralty Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the International Law committee of the New York State Bar Association.Mr. Quartaro also writes the "Maritime Law" column in MARNEWS, a leading Latin American maritime magazine.

Mr. Quartaro received his JD degree from Fordham University in 2002, where he served as an Editor on the "Fordham International Law Journal." He attended York University in Toronto, Canada, where he received a Specialized Baccalaureate in International Relations.

Adam L. Shrier Adjunct Professor, SIPA President, Global Development Opportunities, LLC IEMP Course: Geopolitics of Energy (with Antoine Halff)

Adam Louis Shrier, President of Global Development Opportunities, LLC, has been a business developer and management consultant to the energy and chemical industries since 1988. He has started-up and acquired firms in the energy, environment and chemical fields, and has arranged for international investments and technology transfers. As a strategic advisor, he has helped private and state-owned companies to formulate and implement long-term investment strategies and to streamline their organizational structure and business processes, and he has consulted to government agencies on planning, policy development and economic reform programs. The scope of his activities has been worldwide, but he has maintained a special interest in the emerging market economies, with projects and clients in Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and China.

Previously, Dr Shrier spent 25 years at Exxon (now ExxonMobil) Corporation, in various commercial, technical and corporate positions, including management of international planning and policy activities. His earlier responsibilities spanned multiple functions, including corporate planning and government relations; international supply, transportation and trading; energy security and emergency preparedness; alternative energy; corporate ventures and new business development; and research and engineering.

From 1983–1988, he served on the Industry Advisory Board of the International Energy Agency. Dr Shrier holds degrees in chemical engineering from Columbia University, MIT and Yale University, and a law degree from Fordham University. He has lectured at universities in the U.S., China and Czech Republic, and since 2000 he has been adjunct professor of international business at American University.

David Walker, PhD Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences IEMP Course: Alternative Energy Resources (with Klaus Lackner)

David Walker received his B.A. at Oberlin College, where he studied geology. While studying mining at Harvard, his interests turned to lunar rocks and he went on to earn his MA and PhD in experimental petrology. In his research, he investigates the magmatic processes that have resulted in differentiation of the earth's core, mantle and crust, and similar differentiations of other planets. This work also relates to the synthesis of new materials such as high-temperature superconductors.

Back to top